Pregnant women and Shooting?

I have invited my future son-in law and his pregnant wife to go shooting in 3 weeks. They have shot before and are both looking forward to the range trip. My fiancee has asked me to see if anyone here has any experience or knowledge of any dangers involved with pregnant women shooting. Will it harm the fetus in any way? She is voicing a concern about the noise.

What say ye? I feel the baby will be fine and so long as the mother isn't stressed the baby shouldn't be stressed. But what do I know, having never been pregnant?:biglaugh:

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FourteenMiles

October 8, 2010, 08:44 PM

How do you plan on putting hearing protection on the fetus?

tobyjones

October 8, 2010, 08:45 PM

DO NOT TAKE PREGNANT WOMEN SHOOTING! being in utero provides about 10db noise reduction and any exposure to lead has the potential to cause problems. If it is a life or death situation I think pregnant women should shoot as much as needed but it should not be a recreational activity unless you also plan on taking her out for drinks and roller coaster rides afterwards. The risk (even though small) outweigh the benefit.

withdrawn34

October 8, 2010, 08:46 PM

Is this an indoor range? I'd also be concerned about lead exposure.

Rusty Shackleford

October 8, 2010, 08:47 PM

Hmmm, I hadn't even considered the effect of the noise while the nervous system is being developed. I was thinking you were concerned about lead exposure.

You can't put earmuffs on a fetus. If it were my offspring, I don't know if I would feel comfortable with it. I mean, it probably wouldn't hurt it at all, but if it did, there might be some serious problems. Minor injuries during development in the womb can turn into HUGE issues later.

I wouldn't do it, just to be on the safe side. It's only nine months, right? It would be horrible if the baby was born deaf. Women forgo on lots of other things during pregnancy, one missed trip to the range is small in comparison. Just my opinion.

Rusty Shackleford

October 8, 2010, 08:52 PM

Of course, also, if it were my baby, I wouldn't leave the wifey at home all alone while I was off having fun at the range. I'd either make sure she had something awesome to do while I was gone or just not go at all.

I would think dry firing would be helpful to keep skills from deteriorating yet couldn't hurt a developing baby's hearing.

Sam1911

October 8, 2010, 09:40 PM

We had a very informative thread on this subject with a lot of quotations from doctors who'd studies the issue: http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=536370

The consensus was that it was generally a really bad idea.

9 months isn't too long to wait to take someone to the range -- especially considering the potential consequences for your step grand child.

dusty14u

October 8, 2010, 09:53 PM

We had a very informative thread on this subject with a lot of quotations from doctors who'd studies the issue: http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=536370

The consensus was that it was generally a really bad idea.

9 months isn't too long to wait to take someone to the range -- especially considering the potential consequences for your step grand child.
Looks like I will put the brakes on her going. Will take the SIL and let him shoot a few guns. He just passed the bar and I would like to find a gun he likes and get him one. The baby is due in January so she won't have to wait too long.

Waywatcher

October 8, 2010, 10:08 PM

Yeah, don't let her go.

My wife wisely refused any offers while pregnant.

Have you ever noticed that every single drug, even over-the-counter ones, say to consult a doctor before taking if pregnant? (or just flat out say don't take it if pregnant) It's because the risk is just too great.

The risk is too great.

Don't bring her, and don't let her go.

Webbj0219

October 8, 2010, 10:13 PM

Your best bet if she really has to shoot is .22 rifle, or something similiar where you wouldnt need hearing protection. And it should be outdoors to minimalize the likelyhood of lead poisoning. But then again its porbably not worth the risk.

GRIZ22

October 8, 2010, 10:30 PM

Don't take any internet advice except talk to the doctor and see what he/she says.

lwknight

October 9, 2010, 12:38 AM

If you don't like what one doctor says just find another one till they say what you wanted to hear.

Why not just be conservative and not expose the baby to disturbing noises. Babies born or not can sleep through almost anything but are jumpy when awake. You cannot know in the unborn is awake or asleep. He/She could be born a nervous wreck for all we know. And it might not even matter but , why chance it?

CHEVELLE427

October 9, 2010, 12:41 AM

DOCTOR TOLD MY DAUGHTER NO.

don't even think about it and the shock wave was bad too

Robert Wilson

October 9, 2010, 12:55 AM

Have you ever noticed that every single drug, even over-the-counter ones, say to consult a doctor before taking if pregnant? (or just flat out say don't take it if pregnant) It's because the risk is just too great.

My pharmacology and pharmacodynamics professors mostly agreed that it wasn't because the risk was so high, but because the risks are unknown - the FDA generally doesn't require that medications undergo pregnancy trials. Combined with the fact that perinatology is perhaps the most tort-ridden specialty of all, the "Don't do anything during pregnancy" position becomes understandable - the parents of an imperfect newborn are statistically likely to use any pretext as the basis for a lawsuit.

I think lwknight essentially hit the nail on the head.

kingpin008

October 9, 2010, 12:56 AM

Your best bet if she really has to shoot is .22 rifle, or something similiar where you wouldn't need hearing protection.

Hate to break it to ya, but even a .22 can cause hearing damage. Assuming otherwise is foolish - hearing damage is cumulative, and permanent.

mbopp

October 9, 2010, 06:54 AM

My wife used to go to the range with me to shoot her .22. When she was pregnant she went once and remarked she could feel the baby kick when she fired. We figured it wasn't such a good idea and she quit going until our daughter was born.

hso

October 9, 2010, 08:30 AM

Lead crosses the placental barrier so you'd have to ensure that there was no potential lead exposure to the mother. That would be easiest at an outdoor range with lead free ammunition.

As pointed out the reduction in SPL from noise is pretty small in the uterus. Unless you're firing suppressed .22s at an outdoor range with no one else around you're not going to be able to keep the noise down low enough to be certain that there's no risk. OTOH, if you did focus on keeping the noise level low and you limited the time at the range (almost certainly a requirement since frequency of urination for pregnant women goes up as the baby crowds the bladder) where noise exposure were to take place you could minimize the potential for overexposure.

It goes without saying that a pregnant woman should not clean firearms at all.

It's all about identifying all the hazards and estimating the risks.

Webbj0219

October 9, 2010, 08:57 AM

Ive fired .22 rifles that werent any louder than clapping your hands. So I think there are guns out there that can be suitable. For lead exposure, there are ways to minimize that. Like others have said. I think of that like alcohol. Its hard to say how much of a substance will go to the baby. If the mother brings her blood alcohol level up to .08 % whats to say that the baby's wont go up to 2.08% which can be lethal. I heard a study that small amounts of alcohol wont hurt a baby. But then again, too much of it has been shown to cause mental retardation in the child. So its better in my opinion to er on the side of safety. A night of partying, verses raising a child with a mental handicap. Thats an easy choice for me. I figure on making sure my wife wouldnt take anything that I wouldnt mind my child getting 10 times the amount of. So say the lead exposure that the mother gets the child may get ten times that. So thats my opinion on it.

ArmedLiberal

October 9, 2010, 10:54 AM

No one really knows anything about the pregnant while target shooting question. It's all just best guesses and being cautious. It's such a profound tragedy to have a baby born with problems that mothers generally err on the side of caution and who wouldn't.

If it were me and my wife had a baby cooking I'd say I would just shoot .22 LR outdoors with at lease a gentle breeze to keep the lead fumes from lingering. Not sure if the woman involved would agree with me.

Have a conversation with the mother to be and let her decide.

And everyone should wash their hands after shooting anyway.

kingpin008

October 9, 2010, 12:17 PM

I've fired .22 rifles that werent any louder than clapping your hands. So I think there are guns out there that can be suitable.

Was it suppressed? If not, I'd find it hard to believe, personally. Most research seems to show that .22 caliber firearms (pistols AND rifles) are capable of producing 120db or more. Hearing damage is possible at 85db.

And even if it was that quiet, there's really no reason NOT to wear hearing protection, given the alternative. And as others have said, you can't give the developing child a set of muffs.

Hawaiian

October 9, 2010, 02:47 PM

With something so important as your unborn childs well being, I can not understand anyone taking the risk.
:confused:

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